Policy / Opening up
Germany
Germany is easing energy-efficiency deadlines and working on faster grid connection and planning for data centres.
The federal government announced in June 2026 that data centres will have until 2030, rather than 2027, to run fully on renewable energy on a balance-sheet basis. A national data centre strategy lists 28 measures, including grid connection reform and criteria to help municipalities assess sites, and its September 2026 monitoring shows most still in progress. Efficiency duties remain, but the direction is towards faster delivery.
Power and grid
The strategy includes reforming how network operators approve data centre connections, with project maturity standards and clearer publication of available network capacity.
The rules and programmes
| Instrument | Kind | Status | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy Efficiency Act changes for data centres | Law | proposed | Government page of 24 June 2026 moves the full renewable-accounting deadline from 2027 to 2030; final passage was not confirmed from a source fetched. |
| National data centre strategy, interim monitoring | Policy | in force | Page updated 17 September 2026; tracks 28 measures, of which about 20 are still being developed. |
Checked against the primary sources linked above on 2 October 2026. Due for review by 1 January 2027. This is a summary, not legal advice. If something is out of date, tell us.